Richard David Leslie

Professor Richard David Leslie serves as Professor of Diabetes and Autoimmunity at the Blizard Institute within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London. His research focuses on diabetes, particularly autoimmune forms, and he leads the Centre for Immunobiology. Internationally recognized, he also holds Emeritus Professor positions at Central South University (China) and University of Rome (Italy), and serves as Lead Professor of the International Medical Faculty at University of Rome.

Professor Leslie's research interests center on advancing the understanding of type 1 diabetes as a broad clinical, genetic, and immunological spectrum. His work particularly emphasizes adult-onset autoimmune diabetes, epigenetics and twin studies of autoimmune diabetes, and immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes. He has pioneered concepts regarding early environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes, persistent immune changes as predictors, and the broad spectrum of clinical presentations in autoimmune diabetes. His current research programs span London, Philadelphia, and China, extending Epigenome Wide Association Studies in type 1 diabetes.

His extensive publication record reveals a clear trajectory toward understanding diabetes heterogeneity and developing precision medicine approaches. The most recent publications focus on diabetes classification systems, genetic risk scoring, and novel therapeutic approaches for preserving beta cell function. His work bridges fundamental immunological research with clinical applications, particularly in diagnosing and managing adult-onset autoimmune diabetes.

• President of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland (2012)
• Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science
• MRC Travelling Fellow

Professor Leslie has secured substantial research funding as Principal Investigator of three major European Union programmes (BLUEPRINT, Action LADA, and EXALT). He founded T1DUK, a UK national consortium, and leads Action LADA, a European consortium. His leadership extends to directing the British Diabetic Twin Study and the Mendel Institute in Rome. He has supervised doctoral students including Dr Samuel Jerram and contributes to teaching MSc courses at Queen Mary and King's College London.

His research activities are organized through multiple international collaborations, including the BLUEPRINT epigenetics consortium and the Action LADA European consortium. These networks facilitate his work on twin studies, adult-onset autoimmune diabetes, and immunotherapy approaches, with research sites spanning London, Philadelphia, and China.